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Be an outsider. The The dizzying thrum of the water-powered textile mills in Lowell, Massachusetts drowns out everything else.

It is, in a word, deafening, so much so that the floor of the mill vibrates with intense ferocity.

Set along the Merrimack River, its tributaries, and canals, the city of Lowell had easy

access to great quantities of rushing water to power the many mills of the city,

which led to its swift success in the early days of the American Industrial Revolution.

Dams were constructed to redirect the water of the Merrimack River

from its natural flow to the textile mills.

Enormous amounts of fabric emerged from the weaving looms, ready to be fashioned into end products

to fulfill the growing needs of a growing country. The very nature of life in the

young United States of America was on the cusp of change,

and Lowell was a driving force behind this evolution from agriculture to industry, transitioning

from rural homes to urban companies and urban living, the modernizing

of a country and its society.

Today, of course, we have evolved beyond the marvel of factories transforming the landscape

and economy of an entire country.

But here in Massachusetts, the city of Lowell was at the heart of a modern society in the form of industrial

innovation and production.

I'm Jason Epperson and today on the America's National Parks Podcast, Lowell National Historical Park

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